Report for B Group - 4th January

Steph writes for 'Mother Goose'

What a performance.  After Tony's meticulous cast list Mother Goose kept them waiting.  A flustered late entrance but in the nick of time before the remaining characters fled the scene.  The ride, for a leader, was a gift of straight lines (apart from a set of zigzags which climbed slowly allowed close observations of the verge cutters, rakers and sweepers and the beautiful Belted Galloways safely behind their electric fence on the opposite side of the road).  A bit galling to come out of the loo to find Fixie Dave and Alan desperate to join the leading show.  We departed swiftly.  Lunch was great and a detour by the master of detours- Pete Beyer - led us on an unusually unmuddied side road near Tyrells Wood.  Tea was taken by Tim G, Julie and me at the Old Moat where we caught up with tired A riders Jennie and Dave .

 

Another good day out.

~ Steph

 

Tony writes for 'Aladdin'

Our New Year's ride started well with free tea and cake provided by Dave Vine on the occasion of his recent birthday, thanks Dave.

Twenty actors made the show on a dry overcast day. The Aladdin players left on time climbing up to Polesden Lacey and down to West Humble and on to Leatherhead via Box Hill.

We arrived on time for lunch at the Running Horse, but  the service was rather slow especially for the Mother Goose group but we did eventually leave at 2.10 p.m., heading towards our tea stop at The Horton Café (for the first time) It was a very interesting building.

Thanks to Tim and Stef for leading (30 miles).

Happy New Year to all

Regards Tony

Diane, radiant after her conquest of Box Hill

Tim C writes for 'Peter Pan'

Tony had promoted his ride as a season of pantomimes but he was as surprised as the staff at The Running Horse that the events drew a larger crowd of 20 than the expected 15. Grant stayed at home with a cold, no doubt brought on by last week's water themed ride. Happy Birthday to Dave Vine who treated us all to Tea, Coffee and cakey treats at Elevenses.

Anne, Colin, Ken, Paul, Chris, Ian Williamson, Ray Youlden and myself comprised the cast for the 11 o'clock performance of 'Peter Pan' and the curtain was raised on time, which is unusual for us. We headed South to Effingham Junction and were soon on the slopes of Chapel Lane up towards Polesden Lacey. We took the descent of Bagden Hill with due care and just past The Stepping Stones pub Anne discovered a front wheel puncture. This seemed to be a slow leak so she pumped it up for the ascent of Box Hill and made it up to the NT café where it demanded a tube replacement. Fortunately there were numerous men in the group to give advice and we were soon cruising along the top through Box Hill Village.

Although the ascent of Box Hill was a slow affair for those of us who hadn't yet managed to jettison our Christmas ballast we all enjoyed the several fast downhill miles through Headley and most of the way to Leatherhead for lunch at The Running Horse. It's a pub with a good ye-olde cozy atmosphere and despite the very few staff being slightly overwhelmed by the number of us we were well fed and satisfied in the end.

Tony had been trying to ascertain whether the new Horton Café would be open when we got there and as the last group out we didn't expect we could make it in time but later Dave called to say that Tony's group were there and that we could get there before 4 p.m. We wiggled our way through Ashtead and into the Commons then were soon meandering our way through the labyrinth of cycle paths to Haven Way and this very palatial café in the former Horton Chapel. Our table was where we think the organist would have sat, overlooked by the colourful organ pipes.

Horton Asylum Chapel (postcard) shortly after opening. Image reproduced courtesy of Francis Frith 1901.

Apart from minor drizzle we had no rain all day and after a low turnout of just eleven last week it would seem from these simple statistics that it only takes an absence of rain to bring B Group out in force. Thanks to my athletic group for riding up hill and down dale with me without complaint; thanks to Tony for devising a very good ride and thanks to Paul Day for keeping order at the back of the peloton.

~ Tim C